Early praise for Software Requirements, Third Edition!

After ten years we’re about to release a new edition of Software Requirements, a foundational book in the software requirements field. The book is again written by Karl Wiegers, and this time he is joined by Joy Beatty, coauthor of Visual Models for Software Requirements (Microsoft Press, 2012). Today we’d like to share early praise for the third edition. Enjoy!

Praise for this book

“Software Requirements, Third Edition, is the most valuable requirements guidance you will find. Wiegers and Beatty cover the entire landscape of practices that today’s business analyst is expected to know. Whether you are a veteran of requirements specification or a novice on your first project, this is the book that needs to be on your desk or in your hands.” —Gary K. Evans, Agile Coach and Use Case Expert, Evanetics, Inc.

“It’s a three-peat: Karl Wiegers and Joy Beatty score again with this third edition. From the first edition in 1999 through each successive edition, the guidance that Software Requirements provides has been the foundation of my requirements consulting practice. To beginning and experienced practitioners alike, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.” —Roxanne Miller, President, Requirements Quest

“The best book on requirements just got better! The third edition’s range of new topics expands the project circumstances it covers. Using requirements in agile environments is perhaps the most significant, because everyone involved still needs to understand what a new system must do—and agile developers are now an audience who ought to have a good grasp of what’s in this book.” —Stephen Withall, author of Software Requirement Patterns (Microsoft Press, 2007)

“The third edition of Software Requirements is finally available—and it was worth waiting so long. Full of practical guidance, it helps readers identify many useful practices for their work. I particularly enjoy the examples and many hands-on solutions that can be easily implemented in real-life scenarios. A must-read, not only for requirements engineers and analysts but also for project managers.” —Dr. Christof Ebert, Managing Director, Vector Consulting Services

“Karl and Joy have updated one of the seminal works on software requirements, taking what was good and improving on it. This edition retains what made the previous versions must-have references for anyone working in this space and extends it to tackle the challenges faced in today’s complex business and technology environment. Irrespective of the technology, business domain, methodology, or project type you are working in, this book will help you deliver better outcomes for your customers.” —Shane Hastie, Chief Knowledge Engineer, Software Education

“Karl Wiegers’s and Joy Beatty’s new book on requirements is an excellent addition to the literature. Requirements for large software applications are one of the most difficult business topics of the century. This new book will help to smooth out a very rough topic.” —T. Capers Jones, VP and CTO, Namcook Analytics LLC

“Simply put, this book is both a must-read and a great reference for anyone working to define and manage software development projects. In today’s modern software development world, too often sound requirements practices are set aside for the lure of ‘unencumbered’ agile. Karl and Joy have detailed a progressive approach to managing requirements, and detailed how to accommodate the ever-changing approaches to delivering software.” —Mark Kulak, Software Development Director, Borland, a Micro Focus company

“I am so pleased to see the updated book on software requirements from Karl Wiegers and Joy Beatty. I especially like the latest topic on how to apply effective requirements practices to agile projects, because it is a service that our consultants are engaged in more and more these days. The practical guide and real examples of the many different requirement practices are invaluable.” —Doreen Evans, Managing Director of the Requirements and Business Analysis Practice for Robbins Gioia Inc.

“As an early adopter of Karl’s classic book, Software Requirements, I have been eagerly awaiting his new edition—and it doesn’t disappoint. Over the years, IT development has undergone a change of focus from large, new, ‘green-field’ projects towards adoption of ready-made off-the-shelf solutions and quick-release agile practices. In this latest edition, Karl and Joy explore the implications of these new developments on the requirements process, with invaluable recommendations based not on dogma but on what works, honed from their broad and deep experience in the field.” —Howard Podeswa, CEO, Noble Inc., and author of The Business Analyst’s Handbook

“If you are looking for a practical guide into what software requirements are, how to craft them, and what to do with them, then look no further than Software Requirements, Third Edition. This usable and readable text walks you through exactly how to approach common requirements-related scenarios. The incorporation of multiple stories, case studies, anecdotes, and examples keeps it engaging to read.” —Laura Brandenburg, CBAP, Host at Bridging the Gap

“How do you make a good requirements read better? You add content like Karl and Joy did to address incorporating product vision, tackling agility issues, covering requirements reuse, tackling packaged and outsourced software, and addressing specific user classes. You could take an outside look inside of requirements to address process and risk issues and go beyond just capturing functionality.” —Donald J. Reifer, President, Reifer Consultants LL, and author of Software Change Management: Case Studies and Practical Advice (Microsoft Press, 2011)

“This new edition keeps pace with the speed of business, both in deepening the foundation of the second edition and in bringing analysts down-to-earth how-to’s for addressing the surge in agile development, using features to control scope, improving elicitation techniques, and expanding modeling. Wiegers and Beatty have put together a must-read for anyone in the profession.” —Keith Ellis, President and CEO, Enfocus Solutions Inc., and author of Business Analysis Benchmark